Centre for Ultrahigh bandwidth Devices for Optical Systems

CUDOS brings together a powerful team of Australian and International researchers in optical science and photonics technology, our efforts will lead to significant advancement in the capabilities and knowledge in this crucial field.

CUDOS recognises the critical role entrepreneurship plays in job creation and productivity growth

CUDOS has embarked on a strategy to promote and foster innovation and entrepreneurship through a three-pronged approach; seminars, panel discussions and talks related to entrepreneurship and innovation which are designed to introduce its students and staff to the challenges and rewards of entrepreneurship and inspire them to think more entrepreneurially; support & encouragement for PhD students to undertake formal academic courses in this area; and recognition of and substantial reward for emerging entrepreneurs. These activities are designed to complement our focus on research excellence!

The 2013 program is currently being developed, with a number of exciting speakers already lined up. The series is expected to commence late July and seminars will be held this year at both the Sydney and Macquarie nodes of CUDOS. Further information can be obtained from Alex Fuerbach, Director of Education & Training based at Macquarie, and Jochen Schroder, Sydney node co-ordinator.

The CUDOS Entrepreneurship Scholarship

Introduced in 2013 the scholarship aims to encourage CUDOS students to enrol in a postgraduate qualification that is oriented towards entrepreneurship, innovation, enterprise and leadership. This competitive scholarship is granted annually and offers a generous cash payment to be used to fund tuition fees, or other costs associated with studying. It is a competitive application process and the awardee is selected based on a number of criteria, including track record and commitment and is required to give a seminar to the CUDOS audience on the subject of the course. The 2012 recipient, Sydney PhD candidate Matt Collins, has enrolled in the Graduate Certificate in Innovation and Enterprise at the University of Sydney this year.

The CUDOS Annual Innovation Prize

The CUDOS Innovation Prize was inaugurated in 2012 offering a generous cash prize to encourage budding entrepreneurs to think about ways in which they might commercialise their research. This had to be more than an invention or research breakthrough; it had to demonstrate a pathway to real-world use. The 2012 prize was split between a business plan for commercialisation of a 3D nanolithography system (Ultrabright) and the launch of a significant enhancement of an Australian manufactured product where CUDOS researchers provided an innovative means of extending the functionality of the optical processor device from single port to multiple port operation. This work was done in collaboration with Finisar Australia.